Wyoming man earns 2nd straight win at BFO Cavender’s Cup in Decatur
DECATUR, Texas – Dusty Tuckness is a busy man, one of the most sought-after cowboy protectors in ProRodeo.
But Bullfighters Only is an important part of the Wyoming man’s life. He’s one of the original founders of the company, and he loves to compete in freestyle bullfights when his schedule allows.
He’s pretty good at it, too, and he proved it Friday night during the Bullfighters Only Cavender’s Cup Presented by Bodyguard Bumpers at the Wise County Fairgrounds. He posted the two highest-scoring fights of the night and earned his second straight BFO stand-alone bullfight title.
“Being able to have a couple of open weekends so that I could go to Lewiston (Idaho) and Decatur was pretty special to me,” said Tuckness, who moved into the No. 1 spot in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings. “To come out with the win at both events is a blessing.”
Tuckness posted an 89.5-point score with WAR Fighting Bulls’ Triggerman in the first round. He was then matched in the championship round with the other four winners, Schell Apple, who was 86.5; SuperCamp qualifier Dayton Spiel, who tied legend Lance Brittan with an 87 but advanced by tie-breaker; Tanner Zarnetski, 86.5; and Toby Inman, 89.
“I had a nice bull in the first round,” Tuckness said. “He was the one you wanted to draw. He was hot and on you, but he was honest. I got to dress him up a little bit.
“At the end, I got bogged down (in the dirt), and he ran over me, but I got up and got a good sell to end the fight.”
Tuckness then posted a 90-point fight with Destructor, owned by Brett Hall and Miguel Nunes. It was even more impressive considering that he set a BFO-record 94.5-point fight just two weeks ago in Lewiston, Idaho
“Destructor is a big black-and-white paint, and he stayed hooked up with me the whole time,” he said. “He let me get away with everything I wanted to the whole time. We fought hard for 45 to 50 seconds.”
The $10,000 Tuckness pocketed pushed his season earnings to $20,000 and gives him a solid lead in the standings. That’s good, because his job as a cowboy protector at ProRodeos will cause him to miss out on some of the upcoming BFO events. He’ll need every advantage he can get as he battles through the BFO’s second season.
“Now we’ve got a busy summer run of rodeos, and this win will help me stay in the standings a little longer,” Tuckness said.
While the Wyoming man won the event, a key story line out of Decatur was Dayton Spiel. He competed earlier this year in one of the BFO Development Camps. He did well enough there to advance to this weekend’s Fit-n-Wise SuperCamp, where he advanced as a qualifier into the Cavender’s Cup.
By finishing second overall, Spiel not only pocketed a decent payday but also announced his presence among the best in Bullfighters Only.
“I thought the event went really good,” Tuckness said. “We had some weather issues throughout the day, but still had a good crowd. Even with the weather, the people still showed up and had a great time.”
So did Tuckness, and he has the hardware to show it.
RESULTS
Round 1: 1. Schell Apple, 86.5 points; 2. Ely Sharkey, 83; 3. Cody Greer, no score.
Round 2: 1. (tie) Dayton Spiel and Lance Brittan, 87 points each; 3. Zach Arthur, 83.
Round 3: 1. Dusty Tuckness, 89.5 points; 2. Tate Rhoads, 87; 3. Jimmy Essary, 82.
Round 4: 1. Tanner Zarnetski, 86.5 points; 2. (tie) Weston Rutkowski and Noah Krepps, 85.5.
Round 5: 1. Toby Inman, 89 points; 2. Beau Schueth, 88; 3. Jon Roberts, 84.
Final round: 1. Dusty Tuckness, 90 points; 2. Dayton Spiel, 89; 3. Toby Inman, 85; 4. Tanner Zarnetski, 84; Schell Apple, 83.5.